Giants vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans expressed confidence Tuesday that the team would reach an agreement on a new contract with Tim Lincecum to avoid arbitration.

Lincecum, 27, and the Giants are expected to set records for the most money offered by a club and requested by a player in arbitration.

Multiple reports indicate Lincecum filed at 21.5 million while the Giants submitted an offer of 17 million.

If the reports are accurate, Lincecum's submission falls 500,000 short of the record, held by Roger Clemens for his 22 million submission in 2005.
"I'm overall optimistic that we'll find common ground without a hearing room, but it's a process that begins long before today in terms of conversations about possible deals that work for both sides," Evans said. "And that process has continued in a mutual fashion, but at this point we haven't reached a conclusion."A two-time Cy Young award winner, Lincecum is coming off a 13-14 season with a 2.74 ERA. For his career, Lincecum is 69-41 with a 2.98 ERA and 1,127 strikeouts.Lincecum is arbitration eligible after his two year, 23 million deal expired at the end of the 2011 season.